Friday, May 25, 2012

lots of different stuff...and a reminder that it is Memorial Day Weekend!

hello dear sweet friends - it has been another couple of absolutely gorgeous days at the Manor and we have much to catch up on!

first up - it is Memorial Day Weekend in the US. please take one tiny minute in silence and remember all of the POWs, all of the MIA's and all of the KIA's that served both of our countries in order that we can remain free. if you don't know what the acronyms mean - just ask in a comment.

i would like to direct your attention to a very serious post written by my Dear Friend Duke. he has seen it all first hand...he has been there...and been through it. a stronger patriot i have not met. please visit his post here and leave a comment in support of our rembrances and thanks. thank you.


jambaloney went fishing the other day and caught tonight's supper. normally the trout are small because they live in small rivers. he caught an ocean-run trout - these guys live in the ocean and the streams and because they eat so much shrimp and plankton, they get quite big and their flesh is soooo red. i can't wait to cook this baby up in a ton of butter - oh ya baby!


here is a pepper plant that i planted last year that didn't do anything. because he seemed to be hanging on so long in october, i planted him in a pot and brought him in for the winter. he held on. and then i put him on the plastic-enwrapped porch which is full of pollinators during the day and what do you know:

cha-lap-en-yo's baby. oh ya he is growing us some awesome jalapenos!


for your viewing pleasure, some beautiful pink flowers that can be found all over the yard.



and some pretty white daffodils.







and other little flowers growing in the grass. this might bore the heck out of you, but it's my blog and i looooove the flowers!


and introducing - dah-dah-dah - the very first Framboise Manor buttercup of 2012. take a bow, little buttercup!

 

 what has jambaloney been up to, you ask? good question. he's been out weed-whacking. i must admit that the yard was getting pretty overgrown. it's not all green yet but it soon will be. take a look at the beautiful blue of Strachan's Brook.


he always leaves a little bit of grass for the cats to play in - they love rolling around in the grass. i'll have a few tires of catnip set up for them soon.


aren't these beautiful?!?!?!? apple blossoms - so very pretty!


don't worry if your eyes tear up at this sight...it makes my eyes watery, too, and i am no softy. yes, you guessed correctly - it's the summer bedding out on the line. we'll put the bedding on the beds tomorrow and of course i will take pictures. no, please, stop thanking me...it's the least that i can do.


hmmmm....some old dishes that you aren't using. what to do? what to do?


why you glue them together with silicone caulking - of course!


i was getting tired of always doing "jobs" lately...and we have had a lot of jobs to get done around here. i wanted to do something fun that would fill my heart with glee.

jambaloney - i need some stakes, please.


teehee - this is a water bowl and bird feeder. this one is for jambaloney because i love him so much. yes, it is a little tilty - but i like tilty.


this is a special one that i made for my friend Helga. a better friend could not be found. i wanted her water/bird feeder to be pretty and special. i am glad that i found these pretty dishes to make this for her. i hope that she likes it....but i know that she will. she has my heart, she does...and she knows it. Helga, after i put this up - a ton of yellow finches went to check it out. i think this will become the yellow finches favourite place. i am glad. because when i think of a bird that could properly represent you - i think of yellow finches. which are actually called "gold" finches. which is so appropriate because you are like gold.


the champagne glass had to be for my crazy buddy Jimmy. he's the guy who took care of our place while we were still in the city - and he's the guy who lugged this farm equipment up in his truck and then painted it red. Jimmy - my champagne glass is yours buddy!


and this simple one is mine. it's near the pond and bench. i love my pond and i love my bench. and i love the simple bowl on the plate.


while i was working on the above projects - jambaloney set up 2 more hummingbird feeders. we are getting lots of hummingbirds so we have to make sure that they are properly fed. aren't they pretty?


here's the four hummingbird feeders set up so that we can view all of them from the kitchen window.


i sincerely hope that you all have a wonderful weekend. to all of my American friends, please enjoy the holiday weekend. and please take a few minutes to remember what the holiday is all about.

if you didn't catch my dear friend Duke's post yet, you can find it here.

51 comments:

  1. I always remember what the holiday is about, 3rd generation military, and I appreciate each day what those before me had done and given.

    I thought you lost your mind with those dishes and vampire stakes until I scrolled down and saw the rest. I thought you were tired of wind blowing your dishes on the patio table!
    Hell, that's something I would do.

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  2. Max - thanks for remembering....and thanks for remembering daily. i have never served in hard combat - but friends of mine have. and i thank them...daily. it is so important to remember.

    buddy - i got the issues dealing with zombies nailed. i thought it was time to start practicing with vampires. you understand. bahahahahha!

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  3. ABSOLUTLEY incredible idea for the bird feeders.....(however now my obituary may read..."he took his wife's best china out in the yard and glued it together")

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    1. oh Warlock, buddy - i am so sorry if i got you in this mess - bahahahahah! that's the most awesome comment ever, my friend! i think that i am going to get this comment engraved in copper or something - bahahahahhah! oh and i looooove your new bike covers buddy - Live to Ride, brotha!

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  4. Lol, I like tilty...funny. Very creative!

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    1. agirl - i like tilty too! and so does jambaloney! which is a good thing because although i have ballet, dance, gymnastics and military weapon drill training - i am still pretty clumsy and tilty - bahahahahah!

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  5. Vampires and zombies bah. . . It's the graboids you people should be worried about.

    Everthings looking good.

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    1. oh sweet Jesus Phelan - what the heck is a graboid? and thanks buddy - means the world coming from you! xox

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    2. Watch the movie "tremors"

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    3. jambaloney just reminded me that we saw the movie tremors and that i yawned through the whole thing. except for the survivalists - i loved them!

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  6. Oh Man Kymber I so want you to associate a bird to me. It has to be grumpy and disheveled like an owl or something :)

    Seriously though I am soooooo envious of Jamby's trout fishing. That was one nice looking one in the pic. I miss trout fishing.

    I too thought you had went somewhere tot he side of insanity at first with the whole gluing the plates and cups :)

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    1. PP - no probs buddy! we got a big, ugly raven that jumps on our roof every morning and wakes us up - i'll get a pic of him and promptly name him PioneerPreppy for you - bahahahahah! ya - jam goes out every couple of days and keeps us well supplied in trout - it's awesome food, it's awesome protein and omega 3-6-9 but best of all - it's free! we are going to try smoking some to have throughout the year. you would so love to go fishing here - it's awesome!

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  7. Love those. I had a blog post awhile back about wanting to make something similar. I was going to call all boring and use a pipe or something. I LOVE the stakes. LOL I don't think we have a tree on the property I could get stakes like that from. I need Jambaloney, ha.

    Hey, and they serve a dual purpose, for birds when in the ground, zombie/vampire defense when pulled out!

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    1. I hit enter too soon. I wanted to say THANK YOU to all veterans everywhere for their service and sacrifice. Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts.

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    2. 1st Man - thank you for saying that. it is so important to remember. as for the cups and saucers - i am not sure where i first saw that...it was on someone's blog a few years ago. and i did read through all of your archives so i would have seen it on your blog too. i always liked the idea of doing that i just never got around to it - i am glad that i took the time yesterday to do it as looking at those little bird water/feeders makes me happy! as we have a lot of felled trees on our property we never have to worry about finding stakes - teehee - vampires/zombies/graboids beware!

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  8. Hey Sweet Kymber - First things first. I send out a very big heart - felt thank you to all the brave men / women / and their families who sacrificed everything for our freedom. My moment of silence to remember happens often - as my father was a veteran too.

    Now - that trout will taste amazing ! I can smell it cooking - and jalapenos growing on that little plant - how cool is that !?!? Flowers are gracing the manor grounds- and oh what a variety !

    Holy Moly Kymber - you never cease to amaze me ! Those are the most artistic and creative water/ bird feeders on the planet ! I have to say that I am partial to mine - it's really beautiful and extremely special ! I know the yellow finches will love it as much as I do ! After you see me in action there at the Manor - you'll compare me to a clumsy ostrich ! Bahahah !!!!!

    Love the post - love the pics - and love you !

    Have a great week- end guys ... Helga xoxoxo

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    1. hey sweet darlin' - i am glad that you remember often and i thank your father for his service from the bottom of my heart!

      we didn't eat the trout yet, we'll have it for breakfast or lunch today....gotta think up some delicious side-dish for that beast - it will be so yummy! and i love my little cha-lap-an-yos - bahahhaah!

      as for the feeders - i have seen several blogs over the years of people doing much more fancy stuff with cups and saucers - i just used what i had on hand and was glad to have those 2 fancy bowls for your feeder. i am glad that you like it - i wanted yours to be extra special! the goldfinches love yours and i am glad. i can't wait to see you in action here - i will kill myself laughing at your ostrich clumsiness - bahahahahahah! oh that one killed me!

      make sure to show C and A your fancy feeder! and have a fantastic weekend! always love to you, dearest. xoxoxoxox

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  9. My dear friends,
    Every ONE of your posts is true eye candy for us. (Or in Quebec, I think it would be La friandise de les yeux, and since you're in Canada AND a linguist, we must made efforts be bilingual ! Yes, in Quebecois Francais they have a different word for candy than do the Parisian French, and being a candy officianado and perennial child, I would know !) I love all of your photographs and your birdfeeders are just incredibly impressive ! I can envision bone china cups feeding birds all over the world now, the result of your post. I wonder how the Queen would feel about this? LOL The Manor is indeed a special place on Earth, in part due to the creativity of its owners, in part due to it's exceptional location and geography, but most of all for the love that dwells there, and is so obvious from everything that is undertaken there.
    On a more somber note, yes, this weekend, lets take some private time to thank in prayer, all of the men and women who gave their lives for freedom on this continent and who continue to risk their lives and their time with their families in order to preserve freedom in other places in the world. It is so often used as a cliche, but it is true that "Freedom is not free, and it never was."
    Love to you both, and to everyone who reads this.

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    1. oh Jane - that's so sweet of you to say but you always say the sweetest things! and yes - la friandise de les yeux but as jambaloney said - in Quebec they would probably just call it "le eye candy" - bahahahahahahah! i have seen people who have done the bird feeders with beautiful bone china and i am going to keep my eye out for some at yard sales, etc. i just used what we had laying around. Helga's is pretty but the others are kind of just cups and bowls. no matter tho - i like them.

      thank you for remembering. and thank you for your very appropriate quote. love always back to you, you are the sweetest! xoxoxox

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  10. Oh kymber, I am so going to steal the idea for the bird waterer/feeders. Love them! Also love hummingbirds. Have you been able to get any pictures of them, they are sooo fast. All I have ever gotten are just blurs in the pic.

    Never forget our fallen.

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    1. DFW - go ahead and steal the idea - i stole it from someone too - wish i knew who it was so i could thank them. but there are tons of people who have these water/feeders for years! i have gotten a few pics of the hummingbirds - nothin award-winning tho. i will keep trying - you keep trying too!

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    2. i accidentally hit publish...."never forget our fallen". that was beautiful. thank you.

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  11. K&J thanks for the update. i know you day was better then ours, I just have not gotten around to posting about it yet. Enjoy the outdoors. xoxo from Florida.

    We could get a subtropicial storm this weekend. Could effect Duke,Stephen, Senior & JUGM. Pray for all of us down S.E. way.(Fla, GA, SC) My family and I should be good, just rain.

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    1. Rob - i just read about your awful day - poor guy! thanks for letting us know about the tropical storm - we will keep an eye out for our friends. you make sure to stay safe, buddy!

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  12. Kymber, you are quite a talented woman. What a great idea!!! Hugs to you both and Happy Memorial Day :)

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    1. teehee - thanks Tango! the birds are really loving the little cups and saucers - i am really pleased! Happy Memorial Day back, my friend! xox

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  13. Dear Kymber,

    Now that is a really nice size trout, I'm coming to your place to fish :-) I love fish, we just don't have much fresh fish here being in the center of the U.S. I so miss fish, we used to get all kinds of fresh fish when we lived on the coast.
    My oh my, girl you have a very creative mind. I love what you did with the saucer and cups, glasses. What a wonderful idea, making a bird bath and using stakes (brilliant). Did you know that if you place many bird feeders and baths around your property that the birds make for a great security system? I think it's a great alert system, and it doesn't cost much to do it either. I hope you and Jambaloney have a great evening.

    Sandy

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    1. Sandy - jambaloney says that there is always room in the canoe for someone who loves fish! and i understand about missing fish - i lived in central canada and just couldn't get decent east coast fish! jambaloney used to go fishing at a variety of different lakes and those fish were delicious, but the fish here live in colder water and the ocean fish are much saltier than lake fish. so i am super happy to be back here eating proper fish again. yummeh - we love them!

      i saw those cups and saucer bird feeders on a variety of blogs over the years and always wanted to make them - i am so glad that i did. and it's interesting that you raise the issue of birds making for a great security system - they really do. because there are so few vehicles here, the birds hear a vehicle long before we do. we know when a vehicle is coming because they all scatter. a few minutes later we hear the vehicle. they also let us know by their feeding habits and actions when a change in the weather is coming. i love having the birds around. we had a fantastic evening - thank you. i hope that you had the same! xox

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  14. Kymber, Thank you for the link to Duke's post. He helped us to see the fallen heroes as an individual instead of a number. It is good to be reminded.

    Recently, while my husband, John was on his morning walk he found a fledgling hummingbird. He tried setting it up out of harms way but it continued to fall to the ground. He put it into the pocket of his sweatshirt and brought it home! I did a quick online search and found that they need to be fed every 15 min! I quickly mixed up some nectar and began feeding her. I can't begin to tell you what a thrill it was to watch her recover. I placed her in an eye level hanging plant and fed her there. In a couple of hours and after a couple of tries she was able to fly away. I had learned that there is a hummingbird rescue in our area. I was glad that she was able to go out on her own! I was able to get a couple of good photos!

    So far this year we have had 7 birds fly into our house! 5 hummingbirds, one sparrow and believe it or not a red tailed HAWK! We do need to be better about keeping the screen door closed!

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    1. Janet - thank you for reading Duke's post. it is hard to read because his post really shows us that these heroes, who sacrificed everything for our freedoms, are real and true people who left real and true families, and friends behind.

      oh Janet - good job on you for saving that little hummingbird - that is awesome and speaks much to me about your character - just awesome Janet! and yes - it sounds like you need to keep the screen door closed - bahahahah! a red tailed hawk? are you serious? oh wow - that must have been a sight!

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  15. Wonderful pics....the Manor looks lovely in the spring:)

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    1. thanks MM! i really enjoyed the pics of your kids at the watering hole - they look like they are having so much fun! and public bathing etiquette? oh that one killed me - bahahahah!

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  16. How did you attach the china pieces to the stakes? My daughter has a similar cup and saucer in her beautiful garden. I think her's is on some sort of metal rod. I'll have to take a better look next time I'm up there.

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    1. Janet - i did nothing fancy. i just used silicone cocking and smeared a ton of it on the bottom of the cup and then glued it to the saucer. then i put a ton of the glue on the bottom of the saucer and stuck it on top of the stakes. it works like a charm! xo

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  17. O, Kymber...

    I come from a long line of military volunteers too..my father in WWII, where his oldest brother was KIA as a paratrooper. My youngest brother served in the Army and my husband in the Marine Corps. This time of year we are a little somber and thankful for all those who have served to keep us safe.

    That said--I have seen those kind of bird feeders and wanted to make some myself. But still never have. You make it sound terribly easy, maybe this will be the summer I do it, because --like you, I am tired of doing all the things that NEED doing for a minute and am ready for some whimsy.

    I am going out with my basket to see if I can find enough dandelions for herbal lemonade. We're having a scorcher of a heat wave here already...98 yesterday. Ugh. I watered the gardens this morning, but don't think I am going to get the grass mowed, or even started. It's already 90 @ 11 AM.

    Good looking trout, Jam!! I'll bet it was awesome.

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    1. Akannie - i thank all of your family who served and sacrificed - it is because of them that we are free. of course this time of year would be a little somber - but we are grateful for those, like your family members, who gave the ultimate sacrifice so that we can be safe. i really do understand.

      ya - it's been years that i have been seeing those bird feeders and always wanted to make some. i am glad that i did because now i want to go to garage sales and try and find pretty and special cups and saucers. it doesn't take long and they are really easy to make! i am really enjoying them and so are the birds! pick a morning/afternoon and go do them - you will enjoy it as it is not something that NEEDS to be done. and those jobs that need to be done will still be there the following day - bahahahah!

      i hope that you got enough dandelions. i love dandelion lemonade. actually i love any kind of lemonade. i make some with lemons, lemon balm and ginger - oh it's to die for. let me know how your lemonade turns out.

      jambaloney says thanks - and ya - that trout was awesome. i made some wild rice with sunflower seeds and dried cranberries to go with it - deelish! xox

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  18. My dear kymber, you always make me smile.

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    1. dear sweet one - a better compliment i have never received. thank you.

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  19. Talking of all the myriad Huggie Cultures, have you seen what Darius is up to?

    http://2footalligator.blogspot.com/

    Careful, she is putting you guys to shame, LMHO.

    But she HAS mechanical help. Hint! Hint! Eh, Jambe.

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    1. Darius is up to some pretty nifty things - thanks for passing this link along! but ya - she does have mechanical help and even so, our huggie kulture is still bigger! AND we have seaweed - bahahahah! she is planning to do squashes and pumpkins in hers as are we - the great thing is you just leave the vines right where they are over winter!

      big purchases like a tractor have to be saved for - we are on a fixed budget, ya know! but if these huggie kulturs work out as well as they claim - we will plan to rent a bulldozer/backhoe/tractor whatever for next year to build more of them all over our land.

      again - thanks for the link, Winston - she has a lot of great stuff to learn from!

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  20. First off, Heartfelt thanks to the families of those that gave their all, so that we could live free, they are not forgotten and are forever in our hearts.

    That being said, Kymber...I love you guys, your posts always make me smile and they draw me in like a good book. I feel like I am right their with you at Framboise Manor. Thank you, my dear friends.

    Love & Hugs
    ~Fel~

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    1. Hey Fel...they are not forgotten and neither is your cousin.

      i am glad that you enjoy these posts, and i am glad that you feel like you are here with us! we enjoy your good company! love and hugs back to you, sweetie! xox

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  21. Thank you for your reminder of the Memorial Day holiday, for those who gave their all, so that the world could be a little more safe. Thank you, as well, for reminding us, through words and pictures, of the type of people they do that for.

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    1. you are very welcome Brigid! i had never seen hard combat during my career in the Canadian Forces - but i have friends who have. most of them returned, PTL. and it is very true that the majority of soldiers really do feel a strong need to protect all of us in order for us to be able to live a life of freedom.

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  22. We call the white daffodils "paperwhites." Some people buy the bulbs to force in the winter. You have lots of pretty unboring flowers. I like the look of your house and all the work done. Yes, I like the look of clothes on the line. So, I had better get mine hung out since it is almost 4 pm!

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    1. PracticalP - jambaloney and i were just saying the other day that there is a name for the "white daffodils" - we just couldn't remember that name! thanks for clearing that up! and thanks for saying that the flowers are pretty and unboring - although i am sure that by the end of june people are going to get sick of looking at all of the flower pics - bahahahah! i love all of the flowers - i love the wild and naturally-occurring ones the best, tho! and i love taking pictures of them. i wish you were closer as i could come and help get the clothes out with you!

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  23. haha, love the teacup feeders..wow, 4 hummingbird feeders..do you ever have issues with 1 dominant male patrolling all 4 and not allowing others to feed when they are setup close together?..and yes, that is a massive trout which I am sure was super yummy!

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  24. egb - the trout was to die for - it had beautiful, red flesh and it was so firm - yummeh! we have problems with the female hummingbirds letting the poor males eat!!!! every time a male tries to land to get a drink - 3 or 4 females will come and kick him off! we are planning to put some up in the backyard, too. we love those little things but to be honest - they are nasty little things!

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  25. Dear Folks,

    I have become hooked on your blog of daily adventures at Framboise Manor. I even like the name you gave to your home and property. Congratulations on choosing this life style. You have an amazing way of telling a story and I love your enthusiasm. Looking forward to see how and where your life journey takes the two of you. By the way, where is the island that you call home?

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  26. gmv - i am so sorry to have missed this comment - please forgive me. thank you for enjoying our blog and visiting regularly - we appreciate that. we are just odd little people who love each other and love our land. our island is called Cape Breton Island and it is in the province of Nova Scotia, Canada. i hope to see you here often...we love making new friends!

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